Jan Hooks would have been 65 today

Horrible overactress. Never missed a chance to mug.

She was funny. She also never broke or was obvious about reading off of cue cards.

Cunt R1 - what would we do without her?

Probably have to address the fact Miss Hooks could ruin otherwise decent material by approaching it like a lion does a gazelle.

R4 Some people call that commitment. Passion.

Didn't she have an affair with Kevin Nealon or Phil Hartman?

R4

Comedy doesn't really work that way. A totally unmodulated performance just ends up not working because it doesn't have it's own reality. It's not like drama where you kind of can keep adding more.

She's quite unbearable on Designing Women where she smacks her lips with every punchline.

Compare her with the divine and far more skilled Julia Duffy.

Per Wikipedia, her death from throat cancer…a bit of southern gothic (despite the Woodstock setting)? RIP Jan.

“Doctors said the only remaining option was a total laryngectomy, which Hooks declined. She arranged for hospice care and used prescription drugs, wine and cigarettes to manage her pain. She wrote in an email, "...my dependence on wine and cigarettes increases. Oh the irony! The things that soothe you mentally and spiritually destroy you physically. It's so unfair."[3] Her ability to speak, eat and breathe declined. Soon after watching Late Show with David Letterman with her brother Tom at her home in Woodstock, New York, Hooks succumbed to her throat cancer and died on October 9, 2014, at the age of 57.[1][5][3] Her remains were interred in Northview Cemetery in Cedartown, Georgia.[1]”

My favorite moment of hers from DW

She seemed so self-satisfied with her performance on DW.

God knows why...

Can we PLEASE concentrate on the living?

God damn y’all some bitter bitches.

It's called humor, R13. We're not your Southern ladies sewing circle.

So many sad, fat cunts in this thread.

DW fans don't like any criticism, do they?

I’ve watched SNL since 1976. Jan Hooks was my favorite female comedy artist ever on SNL. She was so beautiful and talented.

You can tell that many of the DLers who were still posting in 2014 have moved on. Her death announcement thread that fall spawned several parts. People reminiscing about her work, SNL in the '80s, Phil Hartman and his curious relationship with her and whether his wife Brynn had been jealous of their closeness, etc.

Also, it was a fun thread and many pointed out several times how no one had anything bad/mean to ay about Jan Hooks. That's why I was surprised by the several bitter comments here.

R6: She & Kevin Nealon were dating when they auditioned for SNL.

The negative, mocking comments on this thread are miles away from the appreciation she got on DL when she died. If you can't relish her Sweeney sister, Alamo guide, Bette Davis living will, etc. you must be dead to the DL sense of humor. Plus she was said to be a really nice person, a little vulnerable and very private.

R18 Yeah, unfortunately we just have people who think being the ugliest they can possibly be passes for wit or something interesting to say.

Loved her as Bette Davis and Tammy Faye

Or you just have people who don't think she's a good actress.

Which they then have to post and repost and repost again just in case we didn't hear how much you didn't like her the first fifty fucking thousand times.

We heard you. Acknowledged.

I always liked her work. She stood out in a nice way in all she did. Made SNL her bitch she did!

She reminded me a little bit of Cloris Leachman in that she would sometimes be right on the edge of lunacy with her comedy. Cloris Leachman is one of the few female comedic performers who had that for all I should know. You know, just that one look of demented glee would just do it but then they go even further before they reign things back in. It's a balancing act that few can do. I'm explaining that horribly, aren't I? It's a quiet discomfort type of feeling one gets which is somehow both spellbinding and gleeful. Very rare.

She lived her life on her own terms and seemed to be a nice lady. There's really no gossip about her which is mean in any way.

My favorite all time episode of Designing Women is Carlene’s Apartment. Carlene gets her first apartment in Atlanta. She invites the whole gang over for a slumber party. Well, she fails to mention her apartment is in a high-crime neighborhood. She serves hot dogs for dinner but nobody likes how they smell. See, they smell like Carlene’s homemade potpourri. Anyway, laughs ensue as everyone must sleep on dollar store inflatable mattresses. The one Anthony gets is really a blow up doll. Bernice gets belligerent with Julia, wanting to fight. Carlene calls the Queen of England and asks if she had a good Christmas. The whole gang leaves in the middle of the night due to the attempted vandalism of the company van. Carlene’s apartment is declared a “hell hole” by all!

Don't start threads on Datalounge if you only want one type of response.

We're not the Jan Hooks Fan Club.

Season six was the funniest by far.

R28 see R25

R19: It really was sort of amazing how lovely & kind that thread was! Prior to it, I'd only seen Elizabeth Montgomery get that kind of universal-love on DL.

Sadly, when I saw this thread (before I opened it), I had a feeling that wasn't going to be the case seven years later.

It's odd that most of the comments here are referring to Designing Women.

You have no problem with people posting the same gushing praise over and over again, R30.

I enjoyed Jan Hook’s role as Tina the Alamo tour guide in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. This clip is in my library and I watch it whenever I want a good laugh.

[quote] It's odd that most of the comments here are referring to Designing Women.

I suspect it's more watched than old SNL episodes.

It's been almost a decade since her death. People who remember her primarily for SNL are probably dying out themselves.

I loved her.

Me too r36. She was my favorite comedic actress.

The end always fucking gets me.

r19, those negative comments are basically all the idiotic r1 who also wrote:

[quote]She's quite unbearable on Designing Women where she smacks her lips with every punchline.

[quote]Compare her with the divine and far more skilled Julia Duffy.

Julia Duffy, who I like, is hardly "divine and far more skilled". Allison Sugarbaker was just a bitch-on-wheels Stephanie Vanderkellen. They were *both* done in by their characters and the stupid writing in their DW seasons. I didn't like *either* of them on DW. They both deserved better.

You're right, R39—I blocked R1 and all the negative posts disappeared.

She was perfect as Jenna’s trashy mom, Verna on 30 Rock. To Jack, the very well-dressed NBC executive (Alex Baldwin): “ …and it’s at a fancy restaurant. Wear something nice, like a pair of white jeans and a Dan Marino jersey or something.”

A classic...even Victoria acquits herself nicely...

I didn’t watch DW because I’m not that kind of gay, but I loved her in everything I ever saw her in. Scene stealing cameo in Pee Week’s Big Adventure.

Loved her as 1/2 of the lounge lizard Sweeney Sisters, with Nora Dunn.

Tammy Wynette Sings the Classics.

Best Emmy Awards opening ever

I loved her on SNL. Hopefully the others who were here for her death post are just out in their gardens and will be on later to comment.

She was wonderful as Jenna's mother. I don't remember much of her time on DW. I lost interest after Delta left.

Jan as the elderly, post-stroke Bette Davis was hysterical.

"Ronald Colman sent me a dead OWL!"

I remember watching this episode thinking it should have been Jan playing Baby Jane!

Brenda the Waitress

R1 =

I put the I Hate Jan Hooks Troll on ignore and my world is better for it.

Hooks was brilliant.

Oh, Hooks and Jackson both had the same acting style.

the Tour Fanny

^ oops

God bless the lovely people reminiscing about the great Jan Hooks today. Lovely, funny, and legendary actress.

I must be doing something right. The hateful troll(s) was already on Ignore for me going into this thread.

@2:34 and @4:19 (and then screams in glee later). Such a delight.

Bette's will...

R50: I was just going to post that clip. One of my all-time favorites.

She was simply brilliant. A gifted and kind woman.

She still had it when she guest starred on 30 Rock, still very funny. It was a few years before she died and she didn't look well at all, very puffy and bloated. I wondered at the time if something was wrong with her.

I loved her on 3rd Rock from the Sun, as Miss Dubcek's daughter.

R43 see r34.

Bette Davis' Videotaped Will still slays me, especially when Jan imitates the fast-forward function:

Bee-bee-beebbbbeeee-bee!

R41 here…I meant “Alec Baldwin” not “Alex Baldwin”. Sheesh.

Of course we knew who you meant r64. That sketch was brilliant.

Jan with her dogs, Frank & Kitty.

She was so talented. A triple threat . Her confidence was always low though . She hit the ball out of the park every time

Forever my favorite comedienne to come from SNL and by a large margin. Her and Phil Hartman were the golden couple of SNL of all time afaic.

Sorry I see the church lady sketch was posted earlier. my bad.

Of all of the female performers from SNL, I thought she was the best. I looked up her IMDB page. She never won an Emmy. She was never even Emmy nominated for SNL! She had a nomination for the show for the American Comedy Awards (1990) and an Emmy nom for Guest Actress in 3rd Rock (1998).

The Bette Davis clip is brilliant. As someone upthread mentioned, she rarely broke character, but in that clip you can see her fighting not to laugh at 2:35. What a talent.

Barbara and Nancy

[quote]Or you just have people who don't think she's a good actress.

Yes, but there's a way to say it without demeaning yourself.

Would this be the kind of thing Susan Dey would comment on? It's not a death, after all.

Jan was one of the most talented comediennes ever. She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her life. Despite that, she had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in the business. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with her struggles and she theirs.

IMHO Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman were two of the greatest comedic talents who ever lived. That era of SNL really was fantastic. It was smart, sophisticated adult humor.

Then Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Rob Schneider and co. came along and turned SNL into the Asshole Frat Boy Show.

Barbara and Kitty

[quote]Yes, but there's a way to say it without demeaning yourself.

What demeaning posts are in this thread? Hooks just attracted a frauey (in spirit if not gender) fanbase who can't accepted that someone might think she's not a hidden gem, so used are they to repeating that bromide to themselves.

R38 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I tried to accepted it but I couldn't getted the thought outted because I was so mad.

r77 Jan Hooks's humor was not at all for "fraus."

r77 has SPOKEN!!!

So, R77, there you go demeaning yourself.

Instead of expressing a contrary point of view - fair enough - in a matter of fact way, you post like you're hostile, defensive and shrieking.

Your posting style could be an outtake from Mommy Dearest.

She always played to the lowest common denominator.

[quote]Instead of expressing a contrary point of view - fair enough - in a matter of fact way, you post like you're hostile, defensive and shrieking.

If you ever actually re-read the thread objectively, you'd find that's a much more fitting description of her fans who expected every post on this thread to be fawning praise.

I'm not surprised people like her.

Her fans are surprised that someone would dare say they don't though.

You really thrive on drama.

who picks a fight over Jan Hooks?

It's weird, isn't it?

Yet her fans seem to think someone finding her as subtle as a drag queen doing Dolly Parton is blasphemy.

At least you're under reacting to them. Totally confirms your judging bona fides. Carry on, zen.

I'd have been happy to be ignored at R1.

The ignore button is there there for you.

Oh, I'm ignoring you. But it's fun to get under your skin, first. Bye, dear.

A very informative article on Jan Hooks.

If there is anyone I never imagined to have hater trolls it's the sublime Jan Hooks, but there you go, just proves she's even bigger than I thought

[quote]If there is anyone I never imagined to have hater trolls it's the sublime Jan Hooks

Of course! Such a surprise. Which is why you can't handle it.

Now, we could talk about the great Julia Duffy instead...

R42 Just watched that sketch for the 1st time and I'm in tears. My god that's one of the funniest SNL sketches I've ever seen

Her Southern accent always felt fake to me. Just so OTT.

She was a native of Georgia. She exaggerated her accent for comic effect.

Yes, I think so.

"The Big Bitch Bulldyke Bustout of '89"

I died.

The Church Lady skit with Jan and Phil as the Bakkers was genius.

She was at home playing TMB.

R77 is such a vile fucking cunt.

[quote]Now, we could talk about the great Julia Duffy instead...

Or you could start a Julia Duffy thread, r93, since this thread isn't about her.

Demeaning, R101.

And hostile, defensive and shrieking.

R102.

I refer you to post R18.

Why, r104?

Her original death threads were expansive in their scope, discussing many actors.

But how old would she be today, OP?

I mean, what kind of "24/7/365 Jan Hooks Dial An Age" service is this, anyways?

r106 as the above poster said, a lot of the good posters with a lot of wit and info are no longer here.

[quote]That's why I was surprised by the several bitter comments here.

Honey, this is DL.

Yes, and there's been bitchy people at DL since the first Cunt R1.

But it changed, and now we have people who just beat the fucking dead horse into the ground and say the same shit over and over.

If people would just ignore the troll here.....come on, you all know better.

Trump Divorce

Enchilada

White Trash B&B

Anal Retentive Chef: Mother's Day

Jan as Mia

Rip Phil And Jan

Attitudes